A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus Apis live and raise their young. Natural beehives (typically referred to simply as “nests”) are naturally occurring structures occupied by honey bee colonies, while domesticated honey bees live in man-made beehives, often in an apiary. These man-made structures are typically referred to as “beehives.” Several species of Apis live in hives, but typically the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) and the eastern honey bee (Apis cerana) are domesticated by humans.
The beehive's internal structure is a densely packed matrix of hexagonal cells made of beeswax, called a honeycomb. The bees use the cells to store food (honey and pollen), and to house the “brood” (eggs, larvae, and pupae).
Artificial beehives serve two purposes: production of honey and pollination of nearby crops. Artificial hives are commonly transported so that bees can pollinate crops in other areas.
For numerous reasons, it is advantageous for beekeepers to monitor the weight of a beehive over time. For example, a rapid increase in the weight of a hive can indicate nectar intake into the hive, while a steady decrease in the weight of a hive can indicate resource consumption and depletion. This information is useful for commercial beekeepers that move their hives to follow nectar flows, as well as for quantifying and forecasting the migration potential of Africanized Honey Bees.
As another example, a sudden decrease in the weight of a hive during springtime can indicate swarming. When a beekeeper becomes aware of swarming, he or she typically introduces his or her preferential mated queen bee to the hive immediately, thereby limiting the time in which a bee colony is without a new, mature egg-laying queen.
Weight data can also be used to predict good versus bad years for honey production, as well as for agricultural crops in general, and to provide insight on colony behavior. In addition, weight data can alert beekeepers to health problems, vandalism, and the need to feed colonies to avert starvation.